Island



G. E.- FRINK. THICKENING THREAD MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MAUHINES. 'No. 497,315. Patented May 16, 1893.

7 57265365. Zn/e72 for. #15 m. 6 j

cams PETERS co PHOTO-LITHQ, WASNINUYON o c (No Model.) I. v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

G. E. PRINK. 4 THICKENING THREAD MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

No. 497,315. Patented May 16, 1893.

NrTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. FRlNK, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR -TO THE E. JENCKES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

THICKENING-THREAD MECHANISM FOR. KNITTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Fatent No. 497,315, dated May 16, 1893.

Application filed March 9.1892. Serial No. 424,341. (No model.)

.To on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. FRI'NK, of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thickening- Thread Mechanism for Knitting-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to mechanism to be applied to a knitting machine for inserting. and removing an extra or reinforcing thread at proper intervals in the operation of the machine, as for instance in knitting the heel and toe of a stocking, and my invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a top or plan View of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are opposite end elevations; and Figs.

5 and 6 are detailed views in section showing the thread gripping devices in different posi tions.

A represents the head of a knitting machine, which is to be supported upon a suitable frame, upon which frame the other parts are likewise to be mounted.

In the drawings my. invention is shown as applied to that type of knitting machine which nlits the necessary motions to the knittinghead.

b, b are two pinions loose upon the shaft a, one of which pinions, b, is to be continuously revolved by a suitable gearing, and to the other of which pinions, b, an oscillating or reciprocating motion is to be imparted by the rack b or in any other suitable manner. c is a movable clutch connected to the shaft ctby a groove and spline connection and adapted to be moved by a suitable lever so as to engage either the pinion b or the pinion b as may be desired. The shifting of the clutch may be effected automatically at the propertimes to change the machine from rotary to reciprocating motion, or vice versa, or said clutch may be shifted by hand, it being entirely immaterial, so far as the present invention is concerned, how said clutch is operated. In the drawings the clutch is shown as operated by the lever cl, the fork of which lever engages a groove in the clutch in the usual manner. t v

e represents a sliding bar or rod supported and arranged to slide in the frame-work, and provided near its opposite ends with two projecting pins or studse', 6 The stud e is preferably provided at its end with a friction arm f secured to a sleeve mounted upon a stud f secured to the frame of the machine. Secured to this sleeve is another rock-arm f to the free end of which is connected one end of a connecting rod g. The other end ofsaid rod is connected to the lower end of a lever h, pivoted at h, which said lever is provided at its upper end with a segmental gear W, as shown in Fig. 3.

Mounted in a bracket B is a shaft 2' which is provided at one end with a pinion j, arranged to be engaged and operated by the segmental gear h Secured to the opposite end of said shaft 4; is a roll or roller is which is provided with a groove is extending entirely around the periphery of the same. At one point in the periphery of said roll the groove is is deepened as at k for the purpose hereinafter described. (Jo-operating with the roll is is another roll Z, preferably of smaller diameter, journaled in two arms Z pivoted to an extension of the bracket B, the arrangement being such that the roll Z will be free under the action of gravity to rest against the roll lo, as shown in the drawings. Surrounding the periphery of the roll Z is an annular along said groove 7t, and between the roll 7t" and the roll Z, to the tube W, said thread being held in the groove k by the projection Z on the roll Z.

The operation of the parts above described is as follows: Assume that the machine is knitting a stocking and has just completed the leg portion thereof, the only thread employed for such leg portion being the thread at. At this time the roll in will be in the position shown in Fig. 5, and the extra thread 72 will be gripped between the projection Z on the roll Z and the bottom of the groove in the roll 713, the end of said thread a hanging in the guide m, but being prevented from being taken up and carried along by the main thread It by reason of the fact that said thread 47. is so gripped between the rolls 7t" and Z. At the commencement of the heel it is desired that the extra thread shall be inserted to reinforce the heel. Upon the shifting of the clutch c to change the machine from rotary to reciprocating motion, that is, from left to right in Fig. 1, the sliding-bar 6 will by the movement of said clutch be likewise moved to the right by reason of the engagement of the stud (2' with the groove of the sliding clutch-member. This movement of the bare will cause a rocking of the shaft f and through the connecting rod g a swinging of the lever h upon its pivot. The swinging of the lever 71. will through the segmental gear h and the pinion j cause a turning of the shaft i and a corresponding movement of the roll is, that is, a movement from right to left in Fig. 5. The depression or deep place k in the groove on the roll itis so located, as shown in Fig. 5, that said roll will have to be moved a considerable distance before such depression 70 will be brought opposite the roll l. Consequently'the efiect of so moving the roll 7.: will be positively to feed along the extra thread a for a certain distance and until the depression k is brought opposite the roll Z and into the position shown in Fig. 6, when the grip of the rolls upon the thread at will be released, and said thread will then be free to be taken up and carried along with the main thread into the machine. The parts remain in this position during the knit-ting of the heel, at the end of which it is desired to withdraw the extra thread. When now the clutch c is shifted back to change the machine from reciprocating to rotary knitting, the roll 70 will, by means of the connections above described, be returned from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 5.

The first movement of the roll K will remove the depression 7.: from opposite the roll l, and consequently cause the extra thread at to be gripped between the projection Z on the roll I and the bottom of the groove 70'. This gripping of the thread at will cause said thread to be broken off somewhere between the gripping rolls and the knitting-head, said thread usually breaking close to the knitting-head. If the loose end of the thread at, when so broken off, were left hanging below the end of the tube in, it would be very liable to become so twisted about the main thread at as to cause a portion of the end of the thread to be broken oif and carried along with the main thread and thereby form a bunch or imper fection in the work. ated by the mechanism above described, for the movement of the roll 70 is continued for a considerable distance after the thread at has been gripped and broken, and suflicientlyfar to draw the loose end of said thread into the guide m and so prevent its being twisted about the main thread. By the mechanism above described, it will be seen that the extra thread may be inserted and withdrawn at the proper times with no other manipulation than that of simply shifting the clutch in changing the machine from rotary to reciprocating knitting and vice versa, and that if said clutch is arranged to be shifted automatically the extra thread mechanism will likewise be entirely automatic. It will further be seen that the extra thread is not only gripped to cause it to be broken, but is positively withdrawn for a distance after it has been broken, and is likewise positively fed forward for a distance when it is to be inserted, whereby it will be certain to be taken up and carried along by the main thread.

Various means may be employed for producing the desired movements of the roll 70 at the proper times, and I do not wish to limit myself to the particular means shown and described. I prefer, however, to actuate the roll 70 from the shifting clutch as the most convenient means, especially when said clutch is arranged to be operated automatically.

This difficulty is obvi- Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. An extra thread mechanism for knitting machines comprising two rolls arranged to grip the extra thread, one of said rolls being positively operated and provided with adepression, whereby when said depression is brought opposite to the other roll said thread will be released, substantially as described.

2. An extra thread mechanism comprising two rolls arranged to grip the extra thread, one of said rolls being provided with a clepression, whereby when said depression is brought opposite to the other roll said thread will be released and be free to be taken up by the main thread, and means for moving the roll containing said depression to release or to grip said extra thread, substantially as described.

3. An extra thread mechanism comprising two rolls arranged to grip the extra thread, one of said rolls being provided with a depression, and means for moving the roll containing said depression to release or to grip said extra thread and to withdraw the loose end of said extra thread when broken ofi into the main thread guides, substantially as described.

4. An extra thread mechanism comprising two rolls for controlling the insertion and Withdrawal of said extra thread, one of said rolls being provided with a groove upon its periphery, and the other with a corresponding projection upon its periphery, and one of said rolls having a depression therein, whereby as said last named roll is moved in one di- GEORGE E. FRINK. Witnesses:

W. H. THURsToN, S. J. MURPHY. 

